Vulcanizing apparatus



Get. 24, 1933. R, w, BROWN ET AL VULCANI Z ING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 9,1951 INVENTORS y 14 Bean/1v A TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 24, 1933 1,932,063vULoANIzmG APPARATUS of Ohio Application December 9, 1931. Serial No.579,974

10 Claims. (01. 1s17) 7 5' ing and closing the cover of a watchcasevulcanizer. I

The chief objects of the invention are to provide means for raising andlowering a vulcanizer cover whereby the initial opening movement and 10-final closing movement is substantially normal to the cover; to providemeans for automatically moving a pivotally suspended vulcanizer cover todeterminate angular position with relation to its supporting means andto the vulcanizer; to pro- 16 vide automatically operated safetymechanism for holding the cover in open position; and to provide forexerting a powerful pressure on a closed vulcanizer cover to compressthe work within the vulcanizer. In general the invention aims to prevent the occurrence of defective work due to distortion or displacementthereof in the vulcanizer upon being engaged by the vulcanizer cover,which frequently occurs in vulcanizers having hinged covers.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of vulcanizing apparatus embodying theinvention in its preferred form, a part of the vulcanizer being brokenaway; and

Figure 2 is a section on the line,2--2 of Figure 1, the vulcanizer beingshown in elevation.

Referring to the drawing, a vulcanizer comprising abase section orhousing 10 and ,cover 11 is mounted upon a suitable supporting framework12. A locking ring 13 is mounted upon base member 10 and has abayonet-joint connection with the cover 11 for locking the latter inplace upon the base member 10. Rack and pinion mechanism 14 providedwith an operating handle 15 is provided for manually turning the lockingring 13 angularly to lock or release the cover 11. Rising from theframework 12 at the rear of the vulcanizer is an upright framework 16,the upper end portion of which has two parallel outstanding brackets1'7, 17 between which a doubleacting fluid pressure operated cylinder 18is swiveled onan axis that is transverse to and to one side of the axisof the vulcanizer. Pressure fluid is conducted to the respective endsof'the cylinder 18 through flexible pipes 19, 20, which pipes extend toa control valve 21 at the front of the vulcanizer. The valve 21 isprovided with a crank 22 for manually operating the same.

The cylinder 18 is provided with a piston rod 24 .55 that extendsdownwardly from the cylinder and has a yoke 25 mounted upon its lowerend, which yoke is connected to a transversely disposed hinge pin 26mounted in the outer end portion of an arm 27 thatis pivotally mountedat 28 upon a bracket 29 secured to the upright framework 16. The arm 2'7comprises a pair of laterally spacedapart plates 27 27 suitablyconnected and braced by the hinge pin 26 and by a shouldered bolt 23 inits outer end, the yoke 25 being disposed between the plates 27*. Thevulcanizer cover 11 is pivotally suspended from the hinge pin 26 bymeans of a link 30 that is mounted on the hinge pin between the forksofthe yoke 25.

The arrangement is such that when the vulcanizer is closed, as shown infull lines in the drawing, the arm 27 is substantially in horizontalposition or slightly downwardly inclined toward its free end, with theresult that upward movement of the piston rod 24, which results inupward movement of the free end of-the arm 27, raises the cover 12substantially axially, normal to the plane of separation of the coverand base member 10. The direction of the cover is reversed in'its finalclosing movement so that it descends squarely upon the work, and doesnot distort or displace the same.

In the extreme uppermost position of the cover 11 it is desirablefltotilt the same so as to give easy access to the interior of thevulcanizerfor removing the finished work andgmounting' unvulcanized worktherein, and for presenting the mold section in the cover at aconvenient angle to permit treatment thereof, such as soaping to preventsticking of the work. To this end the plates 2'4 of the, arm 27 areprovided-0n their bottom margins adjacent the pivots 28, with respectivebrackets 31, 31 that are formed with concave sockets adapted to engagethe respective end'portions of a hinge pin 32 that is mounted upon thevulcanizer cover 11 at the rear thereof. The arrangement is such thatthe cover 11 moves substantially axially upward in its initial openingmovement until the hinge pin 32 is engaged by the brackets 31- and thenmoves angularly with the arm 27 until it reaches the extreme openposition shown in broken lines in Figure 2.

As a safety feature to prevent accidental lowering of the cover 11 fromits elevated position, from failure or leakage of thefluid pressuresupply to the cylinder 18, a U-shaped yoke or loop 34 is pivotallyattached by its respective end portions to the respective brackets 17.

, The closed middle portion of the yoke 34 is positioned below thecylinder 18 in front ofthe same, in the path ofthe front end of the arm27, which front end is beveled or oblique as shown so that in theraising of the arm 27 it will engage and move the yoke forward until thelower edge of the arm is above the yoke, the latter then dropping backinto engagement with a recess 35 formed in the lower edge of the arm.For moving the yoke 34 from in front of the arm 27 automatically when itis desired to lower the arm, the yoke is provided with a rearwardlyextending bracket arm 36, the rear end of which is connected by a cable37 to a lever 38 constituting a part of the valve 21 and operated by thecrank 22 of the latter when the crank is turned to admit pressure fluidto the upper end of the cylinder 18. An adjustable stop 38 in a bracket39 on the framework 16 is positioned to be engaged by the bracket arm 36and determines the normal position of the yoke It is highly desirablethat in the lowering of the cover 11 onto the vulcanizer base member 10,it register accurately with the locking ring 13 since misalignment ofthe cover would require that it again be raised before it could bealigned. To prevent such misalignment from swaying of the cover on thepivot pin 26, the link 30 is formed with forwardly extending lugs 40, 41which are disposed on opposite sides of the pivot pin 26and engaged by alever 42 that is pivotally mounted at 43 on the front of the yoke 25. Atension spring 44 connected to the lever 42 near the free end thereofextends rearwardly and has its other end connected to a bracket 45mounted upon one of the side plates 27 of the arm 27. The arrangement issuch that when the lever 42 engages both lugs 40, 41 of the link 30 itwill prevent swaying of the cover on the pivot pin 26, and yieldinglyhold the cover in a horizontal plane when the pin 32 of the cover isfree of the brackets 31. Tilting of the cover in either direction causesthe lever 42 to engage only one of the lugs 49, 41, with the result thatthe link 30 is yieldingly urged in the opposite direction by reason ofthe positions of the lugs on opposite sides of the pivot pin 26.

In the'operation of the apparatus, assuming the vulcanizer to be in theclosed position shown in full lines in the drawings, the locking ring 13is turned angularly to unlock the cover 11, and then the crank 22 ofvalve 21 is turned to admit pressure fluid to the lower end of cylinder18, causing the piston rod 24 ofthe latter to move upwardly. This raisesthe free end of the arm 2'7, and the cover 11, the spring 44 and lever42 keeping thecover 11 in horizontal position during the initial upwardmovement so that it separates from the vulcanizer base 10 by a movementof translation parallel to the axis thereof. Continued angular movementof the arm 27 brings the pin 32 of the cover 11 into engagement withbrackets 31 on the arm so that the cover is tilted to the position shownin broken lines in Figure 2 when the piston rod 24 reaches its fullyretracted position. Approaching its extreme raised position the forwardend of the arm 27 passes the yoke 34 and the latter moves under the endof the arm as shown so as to prevent accidental lowering of the arm.

With the cover raised the interior of the vulcanizer is freelyaccessible. To lower the cover, the crank 22 is turned to admit pressurefluid to the upper end of the cylinder 18 and concurrently to vent thelower end of the cylinder. Turning of the crank 22 also swings the yoke34 outwardly from under the end of the arm 27, by reason of the cable 37connecting the yoke to the crank, with the result that the arm 27 ismoved angularly downwardly in reverse direction to the opening movement.As soon as the arm 27 is lowered sufficiently to free the cover pin 32from the brackets 31, the spring 44 and lever 42 operate to stop anyswaying of the cover 11 and bring it to rest in horizontal position sothat it descends squarely upon the work in the vulcanizer and registersaccurately with the locking ring 13. The fluid pressure in the cylinder18 is sufficient to exert a powerful downward pressure upon the cover 11so as to compress the work Within the vulcanizer. The locking ring isthen turned to lock the cover 11 in place, after which the vulcanizingoperation may commence.

The invention is simple in construction and in operation. It preventsthe displacing or distorting of the work in the vulcanizer from contactwith the vulcanizer cover, and achieves the other objects set forth inthe foregoing statement of objects.

Modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, or the scope of the appended claims which are not limitedwholly to the specific construction shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with vulcanizing apparatus comprising a base and aremovable cover, an angularly movable arm to the free end of which thecover is pivotally connected, means for angularly moving said arm toraise and lower the cover, and yielding means for maintaining the coverparallel to the base during part of the angular movement of the arm, andmeans for disposing the cover at an angle to the base after the coverhas reached an elevated position with respect to said base.

2. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a base and aremovable cover, an angularly movable arm to the free end of which thecover is pivotally connected, means for angularly moving said arm toraise and lower the cover with relation to the vulcanizer, yieldingmeans normally operative to cause the cover to assume a non-swinginghorizontal position when near the base of the vulcanizer, and meansassociated with the arm to cause the cover to assume a tilted positionin its extreme raised position.

3. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a removablecover, a pivotally mounted arm to the free end of which the cover ispivotally connected, fluid pressure means for moving the arm up and.down to raise and lower the cover, and a yoke automatically engageableunder the arm in its uppermost position to support said arm againstfailure of the fluid pressure means.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 including means automaticallydisengaging the. yoke from the arm upon reversing of, the fluid pressureto cause descent of the arm.

5. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a removablecover, a pivotally mounted arm to the free end of which the cover issuspended, a fluid pressure cylinder having its piston rod connected tothe free end of said arm to raise and lower the same, a valvecontrolling the pressure fluid supply to said cylinder, a yokeautomatically engageable under the arm in its uppermost position tosupport it against failure of the fluid pressure, and means connectingthe yoke with the fluid pressure control valve for disengaging the yokefrom the arm concurrently with the charging of the cylinder to lower thearm.

6. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a removablecover, a pivotally mounted arm, a hinge pin in the free end thereof, anda fluid pressure cylinder having a piston rod connected to said hingepin, for raising and lowering the arm, the cover being pivotallysuspended from said hinge pin.

7. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a removablecover, a pivotally mounted arm, a fluid pressure cylinder having itspiston rod connected to the free end of said arm for raising andlowering the same, the cover being pivotally suspended from the free endof said arm, and means mounted upon the piston rod and engaging thecover structure for maintaining the latter in fixed angular positionwith relation to the vulcanizer during a part at least of the movementof the arm.

8. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a removablecover, a pivotally mounted arm, a fluid pressure cylinder, a hinge pinin the free end of said arm to which the piston rod of the fluidpressure cylinder is connected for raising and lowering said arm, a linkpivotally suspended from said hinge pin and connected to said cover, andmeans mounted upon the end portion of the piston rod and yieldinglyengaging the link for preventing swaying of the cover.

9. In combination with a vulcanizing apparatus comprising a removablecover, a pivotally mounted arm, a fluid pressure cylinder, a hinge pinin the free end of said arm to which the piston rod of the cylinder ispivotally connected, for raising and lowering said arm, a link pivotallysuspended from said hinge pin and connected to said cover, a. levermounted upon the end portion of the piston rod and engaging said link,and yielding means urging the lever against the link to prevent swayingof theoover.

10. A combination as defined in claim 9 in whichlink is formed with apair of lugs disposed on opposite sides of the hinge pin, which lugs areengaged by the lever.

ROY W. BROWN. GEORGE P. BOSOMWORTH.

